Saudi Activists Defy Threats On Social Media

By Zein Ja'Far, in Abu Dhabi

Activists in Saudi Arabia, who are turning to social media to campaign for reforms in the country, face the threat of intimidation, arrest or imprisonment, according to a new report.

With protests banned in the country, and authorities cracking down on internal dissent, human rights campaigners are finding new ways to spread their messages online and out of sight from the authorities.

A Human Rights Watch report has highlighted the work of 11 Saudi activists campaigning for various issues ranging from women's rights to religious tolerance and greater political participation.

All of them have faced intimidation, arrest or imprisonment despite pursuing peaceful means. 

Saudi women are challenging a driving ban in their country

The kingdom's interior ministry and security forces have tried to quash protests in the country, but it has not stopped people taking to the streets in various cities calling for the release of political prisoners, greater gender equality and to demonstrate against sectarianism.

Twitter campaigns highlighting issues previously seen as taboo, such as poor living conditions or calling for better pay, have proven incredibly popular.

One of the most visible campaigns of 2013 has been the push to overturn the driving ban against women.

Despite threats of arrest, and even the possibility of force being used against them, the Women2Drive initiative received thousands of messages of support on Twitter and Facebook, with videos of the drivers uploaded moments after they were filmed. 

Adam Coogle, Middle East researcher at Human Rights Watch and author of the report, said: "Authorities think by arresting the most prominent activists for their social media activism, and their human rights activism in general, that they can intimidate everybody else into silence.

A Facebook campaign to allow women to drive

"But really the cat is out of the bag. People are talking on social networks now, they're expressing their views, and there's really nothing the Saudi authorities are going to be able to do to shut this thing down."

For many human rights campaigners in Saudi Arabia, online activism is the safest platform they have to push for reforms.

Human rights lawyer Waleed Abu El Khair was recently arrested for hosting a gathering of pro-democracy campaigners at his home.

In 2011 he was charged by authorities for providing legal assistance to other activists and the interior ministry has imposed a travel ban on him.

He told Sky News that at his last meeting with police they pressured him to stop his online activities.

"They said to us maybe we lose the control on the new media but we will never lose control in reality. That is why they blocked our accounts ... because they don't want anyone to say the true story, they just want one story which is said by the government.

Women activists are filmed in the back of a police vehicle

"Before I went to court they said to me clearly, stop everything, close your account and we will stop punishing you … but if you continue we will punish you."

Despite winning a seat on the UN's Human Rights Council last month, Saudi Arabia has continued to target anyone threatening the status quo.

An activist was recently sentenced to four years in jail and 300 lashes after he called for a constitutional monarchy, while new anti-terror laws have been introduced to criminalise acts which "disturb public order" and "defame the reputation of the state".

But Saudi Arabia is a young, and increasingly cyber-savvy society with some of the most active social media users in the world.

If the Government remains unwilling to introduce substantial reforms it is likely activists will take their demands off the streets and online, where there will be a substantial audience waiting for them.

:: Watch Sky News live on television, on Sky channel 501, Virgin Media channel 602, Freeview channel 82 and Freesat channel 202.

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